


Holiday Trap

by bea_weasley



Series: OTP Advent Calendar [19]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Muggle, Christmas Fluff, F/M, Grandmas meddling, Grandmas playing matchmaking, Hate to Love, OTP Advent Calendar, mistletoe kisses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-19
Updated: 2020-12-19
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:33:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28170063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bea_weasley/pseuds/bea_weasley
Summary: Theo didn’t want to pass the holidays with Hermione, a feeling that is reciprocal. But when their grandmas are scheming, there’s nothing they can do.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Theodore Nott
Series: OTP Advent Calendar [19]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2032237
Kudos: 13





	Holiday Trap

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoy this, I certainly enjoyed writing
> 
> Based on this prompt: Unexpectedly spending the holidays together

**_Holiday Trap_ ** **_  
_**

* * *

Josephine Nott and Matilda Granger had been best friends ever since they were little girls, and they wished that someday, they could join their families as one. Their children didn't fulfil their dream, but when their grandchildren were born, they knew that their old dream wasn't dead. The only fail in their plan? Their grandchildren hated each other.

Alright,  _ hate _ was a strong word, but Hermione  _ despised _ Theodore and vice versa, and it was the reason why the two families couldn’t spend the holidays together ever since they were babies. But this year, the grandmothers had a plan, and they wouldn’t let their stubborn grandchildren interfere.

“Muuuuum, why are you making me suffer like this?” Theo whined to his mum, sprawled on his parents’ bed, staring at the ceiling, while his mum continued to pack a suitcase. “Why can’t Grandma Jojo come here like every year?”

“I’m not making you suffer, Theodore; stop being so dramatic!” Charlotte said, rolling her eyes. “I don’t know why you don’t want to go to your grandma’s house; you loved to go there when you were younger.”

“That was  _ before _ I discovered she was going to be right next door,” Theo muttered under his breath, to which his mother raised an eyebrow. “ _ What? _ You know we don’t get along; it should be forbidden for us to spend time under the same roof.”

“I never fully understood why you two never got along, you two were so adorable when you were children. Always playing nicely together.”

“I think you’re delusional, Mum, because I  _ never _ liked that girl. You couldn’t possibly think that all the bickering and the hissing was us getting along, right? I think I almost lost an eye with all the glaring she sent my way.”

“What will I do with you, Theo?” Charlotte said, shaking her head, her son’s antics too much for her. “I hope at least, you'll be civil and not try to  _ bite _ one another.”

“We were  _ five _ , Mum!” Theo said, standing up quickly. “ _ See _ ? This is why we can’t be near each other. C’mon, Mum, I thought grandmas were supposed to love their grandchildren and not plan their misfall.”

Charlotte couldn’t stop the laughter that bubbled up; Theo could be very dramatic when he wanted to be, and every time the name Hermione Granger came up in conversation, Theo regressed to his five-year-old self.

“Please, tell that to your grandma; I bet she'd love to hear that,” Charlotte said, still laughing. “Now, stop stalling and go finish packing — because I know you didn’t finish.”

Theo grumbled but didn’t say anything, going to do what his mother told him to do; she wasn’t wrong. He hadn’t finished packing, and even though he hoped that his parents would change their mind, he knew when he had lost a battle. His only hope now was that Hermione was suffering just as much.

“I can’t believe that you two convinced me to do this,” Hermione complained from the back seat of her parents’ car. They were on their way to her grandmother’s house, and usually, Hermione loved to go to Grandma Tilly’s house but not when she knew that  _ he _ would be in the house next door. “Remind me again why we're going to grandma’s house at the same time as the Notts?”

“The Notts are going to stay at Josephine’s house, dear, and it’s been so long since Charlotte and I spent some quality time together. We've been friends since we were born,” Emily said, turning to look at her daughter pouting in the back seat. “Why don’t you try to have a little fun? Who knows, maybe this year, you and Theo could finally manage to get along?”

“Oh, sure! And Santa will come down Grandma’s fireplace to have dinner with us,” Hermione deadpanned, and her mother stared at her pointedly, while her father suppressed his laughter that threatened to escape.

“Try to lessen the sarcasm, and maybe we can survive this holiday,” Thomas said, sending a wink at Hermione through the rearview mirror, making her smile despite her annoyance.

“I’ll do my best, but someone should tell that to  _ him _ ,” Hermione muttered under her breath, trying not to let her parents hear her.

She was usually a level-headed person, but when Theodore Nott was involved, she always lost her composure and acted like a five-year-old child. She hoped that this Christmas, they could keep their cool; if they stuck to their houses, nothing would go wrong; she was certain of it.

It didn’t take long for the Grangers to arrive at Grandma Tilly’s house, and soon, Hermione’s sour mood was forgotten. She loved to spend time with her grandmother. Even the possibility of running into Theo wasn’t something that could take the smile off her face; she knew it was highly improbable that they would come over today, as their house was two kilometres away. She was proven wrong when she heard the sound of another car stopping in the driveway, and Grandma Jojo — Matilda’s best friend — got out of the car, smiling and waving in their direction.

“Oh, Grandma, why do you hate me?” Hermione murmured, while she plastered a fake smile on her face.

“I thought I was your favourite grandson, Grandma,” Theo said between gritted teeth, as he got out of the car.

Matilda and Josephine didn’t care what their grandchildren said; they simply forgot about them not liking each other, and after hugging like they hadn’t seen each other for several years, they entered the house to chat.

“Emily! It’s so good to see you!” Charlotte said, going to hug Emily, while Magnus shook hands with Thomas. The parents were good friends and couldn’t understand why their children couldn’t get along; they entered the house as well, leaving Hermione and Theo to talk to each other.

“Happy holidays, Granger,” Theo managed to say, not looking at her.

“Happy holidays, Nott,” Hermione said back, stopping herself from saying something sarcastic. “Shall we go in?”

“It’s better than staying out here in the cold, right?” Theo said sarcastically, his tone irritating Hermione. ‘ _Dear Lord, what an ass!_ ’ she thought, looking at his behind, seeing that he had turned his back on her. ‘ _If only he wasn’t an actual ass._ ’ She only rolled her eyes and entered the house, leaving the boy behind. “Nice to see you, too.”

Theo sighed, knowing that this ‘quick visit’, as his grandma had said, wasn’t going to be as quick as he had wished. And he couldn’t be more certain of it.

The Notts had planned for it to be a short visit before they drove to Josephine’s house, but heavy snow began to fall outside, and before they knew it, the snow had blanketed the earth that it would be impossible to drive back home; therefore, they were forced to spend the night with the Grangers.

“I know it’s horrible that we’re stuck here, but I’m so glad that we are all together,” Matilda said, looking around the living room filled with people special to her.

“I couldn’t agree more, Tilly,” Josephine agreed with her friend. “It’s so nice to have everyone together like this; we should do this more often.”

None of the grandmothers saw the way Theo and Hermione rolled their eyes in sync, but their mothers didn’t miss it and smiled conspiratorily at each other. The grandmothers weren't the only ones who wished the two got along with each other; and seeing as Hermione and Theo were going to be forced to be in each other's presence for a little longer, their mothers could only hope for a Christmas miracle.

Emily noticed that Hermione was always bristling when Theo said something she disagreed with and even when he said something she would agree with if it had been said by another person. Charlotte, on the other hand, saw how Theo occasionally looked at Hermione when she wasn’t looking — but she couldn’t tell whether it was with adoration or to murder the girl.

After Magnus and Theo had grabbed their suitcases from the car, everyone went to do something to pass the time and prepare themselves for Christmas day; somehow, Hermione and Theo ended up together in the library, searching for something to read.

“What do you think of  _ maybe _ spending Christmas with me?” Theo asked in a nice tone, which was difficult for him when he was near her.

The girl only shrugged, not having given it any real thought. “I don’t have an answer for this, but it couldn’t be too difficult, right? We can be civil.”

“Of course, we can be civil; it’s for our grandmas, right?” Theo said, to which Hermione nodded in agreement. “Good, so we agree.”

They didn’t say anything more as they just browsed through the shelves, searching for something that caught their fancy. They stole glances at each other when they thought the other wasn’t looking. And then, they saw a book and reached for it at the same time, coming face to face with each other, but something stopped them, and they looked at what it was.  _ Mistletoe _ .

“Who puts mistletoe in a  _ library _ ?” Hermione asked, blushing, trying not to reveal her embarrassment.

“I could ask you the same question,” Theo said, also blushing. Clearing his throat, he looked down at Hermione. “What do you want to do?”

Hermione bit her lip in concentration, and Theo’s eyes instantly gravitated towards her lips. “It’s tradition, right? We can’t go against tradition.”

“Yeah, you’re right, we can’t.” Theo couldn’t take his eyes off her lips, and Hermione realized it, blushing harder. “Try not to fall in love with me,  _ Hermione _ .”

“Wha—” Hermione started to say, shocked by the fact that Theo had used her first name, but she couldn’t finish her sentence because his mouth had descended on hers, and she lost all coherent thoughts.

He kissed her, and the world fell away, indistinct and hazy. It was soft and slow, surprisingly comforting in ways that words would never be. His hand rested below her ear, his thumb caressing her cheek, as their breaths mingled in the little space between them. She ran her fingers down his back, pulling him closer until there was no space left between them and she could feel the thumping of his heart against her own.

They only separated when their air supply ended, but even then, they didn’t pull away, but their foreheads remained touching, their breaths mingling; it was a new feeling for them, one they were curious to discover more about.

“I have a feeling we should have been doing this for some time now,” Theo said roughly, caressing Hermione’s cheek, who leaned into his touch.

“I think you’re right,” Hermione said softly. “How about we see what happens between us?”

“That's the best idea you've ever had,” Theo said, dropping his head, ready to kiss her again; they were so lost in each other and in their kiss that they didn't remember their surroundings.

In the doorway stood Josephine and Matilda, smiling like loons, happy that their little plan of putting a mistletoe in the library — where their bookworm grandchildren would inadvertently head to — had worked! It was the best Christmas gift they could have asked for, and as they heard the bells chiming in the distance, heralding not only Christmas but also a change in the family dynamics, they were aware they just needed to be a bit more patient.


End file.
